Writing a mini-essay

I like to write. Research, writing, and editing help me understand a new subject. In my line of work — technology — you need to keep learning. For the last month, I have been using mini-essays, short essays about a single topic: one idea, one page. Let’s see how they work in practice.

In short, when you find something interesting, you do the research and then write a mini-essay about the subject. Aim for 100-300 words.

A mini-essay is one way to learn more about a specific subject, which has gained popularity lately. The structure of the short text reminds me of the structure taught to us in school, and should consist of the following structure:

Intro
Body
Conclusion

The intro should be clear and tell the reader about the subject. But you must also be interesting and make the reader want to continue. It could be a bold statement, three sentences that inspire emotion, or you can ask a question.

Using the mini-essay format when exploring a subject has benefits.

Writing about something makes you understand it. Writing down your thoughts and ideas demands a greater understanding of the subject than talking about it. This is referred to as the Generation effect.

There is also the Feynman technique – teaching something to learn it – a tried and tested method for understanding things. It’s named after the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, and the main idea is that if you can explain it to others, you usually have a good understanding of the subject.

A mini-essay will also force you to be precise since you only have 100-300 words to play with.

I find the mini-essay format inspiring. I see two significant benefits: I’m forced to keep it short, and since it’s not an in-depth article, the barrier to publishing is lower.

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Published published May 18th, 2025.
Last modified May 18th, 2025.